Happy birthday!
by DementedLunatic
Summary: Initially had planned it to be a one-shot only. But then I decided to make it a collection of independent stories about birthdays in in the Halliwell family. I hope you like it.
1. Piper's Birthday

**Disclaimer:** I _do __not_ own Charmed or any of its characters except the ones I make up. I _do __not_ seek to make profit out of this story.

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><p><strong>Piper's Birthday<strong>

"Oh crap," a sixteen year old Wyatt muttered as he saw the mess he had made in the kitchen. It was his mother's birthday and he had suggested his dad that he takes her out on a specially planned evening. He had taken it upon himself to bake her a cake. After the disaster in the school that involved a bully that was picking on Henry Jr. 'accidentally' falling in a mud puddle after a he stumbled upon a brick that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, Wyatt wasn't in his mother's good books. He desperately needed some more points in Piper's eyes if he wanted to convince her to let him borrow her car. So far he had managed to spill the flour on the floor, get some egg yolk on his shirt, eggshells in the batter and some batter in his hair. His mom was going to have a stroke if he didn't come up with a solution and fast.

"Screw personal gain. This is for mom's wellbeing anyway," Wyatt muttered as he tried to remember his aunt Paige's cleanup spell. He could not remember the correct wording so he decided to improvise a little.

Let the object of objection

Become but a dream

As I cause the scene

To be unseen.

Unfortunately for him the wording was not as accurate as he hoped it had been. Unintentionally he had replaced 'seen' with 'scene'. Not surprisingly the spell backfired. The whole scene literally disappeared. The counter, the stove, the chairs, the cabinets, everything vanished. He was standing in the middle of an empty square room. Although the mess on the counter had vanished with the counter, all the mess on his person was still there. Wyatt sighed in frustration. His mom was going to be home any minute and he had to fix this. Wyatt panicked as he heard footsteps approaching the kitchen.

"This should be interesting," Chris muttered as he stepped into the kitchen. Wyatt was visibly relieved. He thought about another spell.

Save my mother from having a fit

The clutter I have is better than this

Benevolent spirits hear my call

Bring back the kitchen mess and all

Unfortunately, the spell backfired once again. It worked; obviously, it brought back the kitchen with all the equipment. But it also brought all the clutter from Wyatt's room to the kitchen. His dirty laundry was now piled on the chairs and his half finished homework and books were sitting on top of the counter. As an after thought, he realized that using 'had' instead of 'have' might have been apt.

"I'm going to fix this. You can't tell mom about it, please," Wyatt pleaded to his little brother. At the moment the front door opened and the boys could hear their mother's voice.

"She is going to kill me," Wyatt muttered as he started walking towards the front door.

"Look on the bright side. I might get your room when she does," Chris teased his brother. Wyatt scowled at him before exiting the kitchen.

"Hey mom!" Wyatt said with the brightest and innocent smile he could muster, "You're home early. How was your evening? Did you have fun?"

"What is this? Don't tell me you were fighting demons in my kitchen," Piper said as she rushed towards the kitchen ignoring all of Wyatt's questions and comments. She was worried what state she will find the kitchen in. Wyatt's attempts to stall or distract his mother had failed miserably.

"I wasn't fighting demons, I was just trying to bake a cake, for my dear loving mother," Wyatt said. He flinched a little as his mother entered the kitchen anticipating an explosion coming his way.

But nothing happened. Wyatt gathered the courage to follow his mother and entered the kitchen. To his surprise, the kitchen was immaculate just as their mother liked. Chris was standing at the counter mixing the batter.

"Aw," Piper couldn't utter another word. Her eyes filled with tears, she looked at Chris and Wyatt lovingly.

"It was all Wy's idea. I'm just here to make sure he doesn't burn down the manor," Chris explained. Piper turned to Wyatt and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I love you two so much," she muttered.

"I love you too, mom," Wyatt said as he hugged his mother. He silently mouthed to Chris, 'Thank you'.

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><p><strong>Kindly read and review<strong>


	2. Leo's Birthday

**Disclaimer:** I _do not_ own Charmed or any of its characters except the ones I make up. I _do not_ seek to make profit out of this story.

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><p><strong>Leo's Birthday<strong>

"Should we put forty-five candles on the cake or hundred and two?" the only person in the family capable of asking such a question was Wyatt Halliwell. Henry Jr. rolled his eyes while Chris only glared at his big brother. If a picture is worth a thousand words, Chris's glare was worth at least a million.

"Alright, alright. Don't get mad at me kitten. We'll stick to forty-five," Wyatt said ruffling Chris's brown locks. Chris narrowed his eyes in response and Wyatt quickly pulled back his hand as if he had touched boiling water.

"Sometimes I'm glad peanut doesn't have the power to kill someone with a glare," Wyatt muttered to Junior as he watched Chris put finishing touches on the cake for his father's birthday.

"Hundred and two candles, Wy? Seriously? Why don't you just punch him in the stomach? That might be less painful," Chris admonished is big brother.

"Somehow I doubt that seeing forty-five candles blazing on the cake is going to make his day either," Henry Jr. observed. Their conversation was cut short as they heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. They were planning a surprise party for Leo and couldn't afford to let him find out. The sisters had gifted Leo tickets to the baseball game and the boys knew he couldn't be back so soon. But letting Phoebe find out about their plans was equivalent to broadcasting it over the national television so they couldn't afford to let her know about their plans either. Wyatt quickly orbed the finished cake to the attic and assumed the most innocent expression he could muster. Fortunately for them it was only Paige. She scrutinized her son and two nephews. She was sure they were up to something but seeing as Chris was with them she decided that whatever it was couldn't be thoughtless or irresponsible. So she decided to let it slide, at least for now.

"Alright, I have to wrap dad's gift. I'm going to the mall to pickup some wrapping paper. I assume you orbed the cake to some secure location and I sincerely hope that it wasn't the top of the golden gate bridge," Chris said to his brother as soon as Paige left the room. Wyatt took offence at the statement and glared at his little brother.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Wyatt asked incredulously. Although the top of the bridge was the first place he had thought of, his more reasonable side kicked in and he had sent the cake to the attic instead. Of course he wasn't going to admit to that.

"Do you honestly want me to answer that question?" Chris asked his big brother knowing very well it was a rhetorical question. He quickly orbed out avoiding an egg thrown at him by Wyatt. Unfortunately the egg landed on an already cake-covered Piper Halliwell.

"Ah oh…" was all Wyatt could say. When he orbed the cake to the attic, he didn't count on his mother being there. The cake had landed right on top of her head.

"Who is responsible for this?" Piper asked in a voice only a mother could muster. Wyatt could feel his mother's glare fixed on him and the guilt on his face told her unequivocally that he was the one responsible. Wyatt glanced at his little cousin for some support.

"Sorry Wy. You're on your own in this one," Junior mouthed to his big cousin silently as he slowly moved away from his aunt Piper as discretely as possible.

"Mom, I…" Wyatt began making his case but a raised index finger from Piper caused him to swallow the rest of his words.

"To your room; now", Piper ordered.

"Yes ma'am", Wyatt said, as he was about to orb. Fortunately he thought better and went to his room like a normal person. His mother had seen enough orbing from him for the day.

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><p>In his room, Wyatt was pacing, worried about the punishment his mother was sure to dole out. After that his equally short-tempered little brother was going to kill him for destroying the cake.<p>

"Junior, I need your help. Please?" Wyatt called his cousin. Henry Jr. orbed into Wyatt's room.

"I told you Wy. You're on your own in this one. There isn't much I can do for you. Besides both your mom and Chris scare me a little," Henry Jr. said to his big cousin.

"Mom is already mad at me. There isn't much we can do about it. But Chrissie doesn't know yet. Just keep him busy till I fix this," Wyatt said in almost pleading voice.

"Alright, alright. Stop begging. I'll tell him that I need help with Biology homework or something. But I don't think I can buy you more than an hour. So whatever it is you're planning, do it fast," Henry Jr. said before orbing out. Just then Piper entered the room.

"Mom…" Wyatt began again. But Piper cut him off midsentence.

"How many times have I told you 'no unnecessary orbing'?" Piper asked. Wyatt didn't answer of course instead he just lowered his head in shame.

"Now, as your punishment, you are going to rake the leaves in the backyard, then weed and mow the lawn," Piper handed out the sentence.

"Now?" Wyatt asked incredulously.

"It doesn't look like you are doing anything worthwhile at the moment so yes, now", Piper said.

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><p>It took Wyatt about two hours to finish the job his mom had assigned him. He was out in the open so he couldn't possibly use magic to finish it quickly. Besides, if his mom even suspected unwarranted use of magic, he would have been in deeper trouble. At last, he was almost done and he could sense his baby brother back at the manor. Henry Jr. had done a good job at distracting Chris. Unfortunately Wyatt never got a chance to fix the situation he was in. To make things worse, he could sense that his father had returned from the game as well. He dragged himself towards the kitchen, mentally prepared to face the music.<p>

"Thank you boys! You went through all this trouble for me?" He heard his father say as he released Chris from a bear hug and approached his eldest son. Wyatt glanced at the table and saw another cake, just like the one he had destroyed, sitting on the countertop. Of course it was his mom's doing.

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><p>The surprise party Chris and Wyatt had planned went on without a hitch. Wyatt was just glad that it worked out as well as it did. His mom and Henry Jr. were good at keeping secrets so with some luck, Chris would never find out. Just as this thought crossed his mind, he felt his brother's right arm around his shoulder.<p>

"You do realize that you will be doing all my chores for next two weeks, don't you?" Chris asked his brother with a wicked smile on his face. Wyatt swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Why would I do that?" He asked trying his best to sound innocent. Chris rolled his eyes.

"For destroying my cake", Chris answered. Wyatt's jaw hit the floor.

"How did you…?" He managed to say.

"Know it wasn't mine?" Chris completed his question. Wyatt simply nodded.

"I had used cocoa butter in my recipe. Mom didn't," Chris answered smugly. He had spent so many hours in the kitchen helping his mom that he could uniquely identify all the ingredients his mom used in her recipes.

"How did you…?" Wyatt asked again but was cut off by Chris midsentence.

"Know mom made it?" Chris asked. Wyatt nodded again.

"Who else in this family besides me has the skill to bake such an exquisite cake in such a short time?" Chris asked, the smug smile firmly in place.

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><p><strong>Kindly read and review<strong>


	3. Chris's Birthday

**Disclaimer:** I _do not_ own Charmed or any of its characters except the ones I make up. I _do not_ seek to make profit out of this story.

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><p><strong>Chris's Birthday<strong>

Chris hated being sick, especially on his sixteenth birthday. Six months ago he got his learner's permit and had meticulously logged the required number of hours. He had suffered through hours after infuriating hours of old school training methods of his dad and uncle Henry for this day. Today was the day he would get his driver's license, the first step towards independence.

The previous night, Chris had sneezed a couple of times and Piper immediately went into her over-protective mom mode and prohibited him from leaving the manor. Chris wasn't happy about it but after being suitably threatened by his mother to be confined to his room, he gave in. Chris could feel a slight headache and irritation in his throat but refused to admit it and continued his attempts to convince his mom that he was perfectly healthy and that his confinement was not only unfair but also _unconstitutional_. Chris had played 'tomorrow is my sixteenth birthday' card, 'You know, I never fall sick' card, 'I promised Wy to help him' card and most importantly 'Please mom, please let me go out' card with a generous serving of puppy dog eyes to convince his mother. Of course in the Halliwell household, Piper Halliwell's decisions were final and despite the fact that Piper found it increasingly difficult to ignore the pleas from her precious little peanut, she stuck to her decision. All of Chris's attempts failed miserably.

Chris was determined to prove to his mother that he was perfectly healthy. He also thought about all the ways he could make her feel guilty after he wakes up perfectly healthy the next morning. Unfortunately he woke up with a fever of 101.5 and was consequently confined to his bed by his mother.

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><p>"Aw, you poor baby," Paige said in an overly dramatic manner squeezing Chris's cheeks. Wyatt was getting late for college but couldn't help but stop a moment and appreciate the scene in front of him. He stood near the door to Chris's room and couldn't help but chuckle at Chris's obvious discomfort at the display of affection from their aunt.<p>

"Aunt Paige is going to make everything better," Paige said referring to herself in third person. Ordinarily Chris wouldn't be bothered by it but in his current state of health, he found it extremely annoying. To top it all of nicely, Paige produced a vial of a vile looking concoction from her purse that was supposed to be the fastest working remedy for flu known in the magical and mortal worlds. It was her own recipe and She was quite proud of it. Chris had tried this particular invention before and he knew it tasted as bad as it looked. He firmly refused to drink it.

"Allow me," Wyatt said as he approached Chris. His little brother knew exactly what Wyatt intended to do and was, by now, threatening to do very unpleasant things to Wyatt should he go through with his plan. Wyatt however didn't pay attention to Chris's protests and telekinetically orbed the potion straight to his mouth with a flick of his wrist. Chris had no choice but to swallow. Paige looked at Wyatt with mock anger and muttered something about personal gain. Chris only sent a glare at his big brother that could kill.

"This will not end well for you," Chris threatened.

"You'll thank me tomorrow," Wyatt said smiling. Chris only narrowed his eyes.

"Aren't you getting late?" Paige asked her eldest nephew who glanced at his cell phone and rushed downstairs without another word.

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><p>It was late afternoon and Chris was still stuck in the bed. Piper had left Chris unattended for just a few minutes and the half elder had taken it upon himself to fetch a glass of water. The fever was weakening his body but he still insisted that he was all right. He paused for a moment at the door as he heard his mother.<p>

"Wyatt, honey, could you call all of Chris's friends and let them know that Chris is not feeling well and that we have to postpone the party? I don't think it is a good idea anymore," Piper asked her eldest as he returned from the school.

"Piper, we can't cancel the party. Chris is already feeling sad and frustrated because he didn't get his driver's license today. I don't think I can bear to see his disappointment when he realizes there is no party," Phoebe interjected.

"More people means more chances of spreading the infection. Besides we can't have Chris exerting himself. He needs his rest. We can have the party later," Piper said with a touch of finality.

"Could this day get any better?" Chris thought to himself sarcastically and orbed to the kitchen. His orbing was a little off due to the sickness and he stumbled into a chair. Piper, Phoebe and Wyatt rushed to the kitchen.

"Christopher Perry Halliwell, what do you think you're doing out of the bed?" Piper scolded her sick but stubborn child.

"I just needed some water," Chris said sitting on a chair. The simple task had made him tired considerably.

"Why didn't you just call one of us? Let me guess, you didn't want to bother us. That's it. Wyatt, do you have any _important_ plans for the afternoon?" Piper asked her eldest. Wyatt knew hanging out with his friends would not count as _important_ plans so he simply shook his head.

"Good, could you please look after your brother?" Piper asked. Wyatt nodded.

"Make sure he has everything he needs. Don't let him get out of the bed," She further instructed. Chris's eyes glittered. An evil smile appeared on his face. Wyatt noticed the change in the expression on Chris's face and rolled his eyes. Chris was getting his chance to exact revenge on his big brother for force-feeding him aunt Paige's foul smelling potion. Wyatt knew this was going to be a long afternoon.

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><p>"Wy! I need some more water," Chris hollered for the fifth time during last hour. Wyatt returned with a whole carafe of water and a glass.<p>

...

"Could I may be have some ginger ale? I'm nauseous," Chris said with the most innocent expression on his face.

...

"Wy!" Chris called.

"What?" Wyatt was sufficiently annoyed by now. Chris was proving to be the most difficult patient ever.

"I'm bored. I don't think I have the strength to read anything. Could you possibly read something to me?" Chris asked. Wyatt handed him his iPod loaded with some audio books.

...

"Wy…"Chris whined.

"What?" Wyatt asked trying very hard to control his temper.

"These books are of your choice. I don't like them" Chris complained. Wyatt waved his hand and orbed Chris downstairs on a sofa in front of the television and handed him the remote. Wyatt spent the rest of the afternoon catering to Chris's annoying requests with a fake smile on his face.

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><p>It seemed like ages before it was evening and the Halliwell family gathered in the living room to celebrate Chris's sixteenth birthday. Although the party had to be cancelled, the close family members gathered in the manor. After they had the cake, Chris opened the gifts. He thanked his parents, aunts and cousins for all the thoughtful gifts. Wyatt's was the last gift he opened.<p>

"Is that what I think it is?" Chris asked his big brother excitedly as he picked up the keys in the small box. Wyatt didn't even have to nod. Chris, despite his weakness from the fever, literally jumped on his big brother and hugged him tightly. Just one look at the genuine happiness on Chris's face and Wyatt had already forgotten his baby brother's bratty behavior since the afternoon. Wyatt hugged him back just as tightly.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you... This is the best gift ever," He said excitedly. Phoebe and Paige watched the scene with raised eyebrows. They had never seen Chris so much excited.

"What did you give him, The Kingdom of Brunei?" Paige asked Wyatt.

"His own set of keys to my car. Or shall I say our car?" Wyatt said smiling. All the excitement had exhausted the brunette witch and Wyatt helped him to the couch.

"Now, we have to share the car till you start to earn enough to pay for the insurance and gas. After that you can have it all for yourself," Wyatt said to his little brother. Chris nodded enthusiastically. The smile was plastered on his face and Wyatt began to wonder if he was going to pull one of his facial muscles. They spent the rest of the evening watching Chris's favorite movies and playing Chris's favorite games.

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><p>"Good night kitten. And happy birthday!" Wyatt said after making sure Chris was comfortable in his bed.<p>

"Good night Wy," Chris said. Wyatt smiled and turned to switch off the light.

"And Wy," Chris called. Wyatt turned around.

"I'm truly sorry for my obnoxious behavior today. You were trying to help me and I acted like a pain in the ass," Chris apologized to his big brother.

"_Acted_? Let's not be delusional. You _are_ a constant pain in my ass. But I love you regardless," Wyatt said with a smug smirk and ducked to avoid a pillow thrown at him by Chris.

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><p><strong>Kindly read and review<strong>


	4. Wyatt's Birthday

**Disclaimer:** I _do not_ own Charmed or any of its characters except the ones I make up. I _do not_ seek to make profit out of this story.

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><p><strong>Wyatt's Birthday<strong>

"My mom is going to kill me, unless you help me fix this fiasco," Wyatt pleaded to his younger cousin before he even rematerialized through the orbs.

"Don't be so dramatic. Aunt piper is a sweetheart. She's not going to kill you on your birthday! Now, tell me what happened," Henry Jr. asked his older cousin with a calmness and control he had clearly inherited from his father.

"Odie, I'm the one who lost Piper Halliwell's precious little peanut. I would be lucky if she doesn't bind my powers and ground me till I'm thirty," Wyatt attempted to convey the gravity of his situation. Junior looked at Wyatt dumbfounded for a moment before he realized what Wyatt had said.

"Whoa there. How the hell did you loose Chris? For goodness' sake he's not a child. And why the hell are you wet?" Junior bombarded Wyatt with questions. He had just realized after arriving that Wyatt was soaking wet and slightly shivering.

"It's a long story, Odie," Wyatt said as he proceeded to change into dry clothes.

"I would refrain from using that nickname if I were you. Now, Why don't you give me the cliff notes version?" Junior asked irritated reminding Wyatt of his aunt Paige.

"Here's what happened…" Wyatt began his narration.

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><p>About an hour earlier…<p>

"I can't believe you are ditching me again. You promised me that we would do something together. Ever since you began college, I hardly get to see you. But apparently hanging out with your college friends is more fun than spending time with your boring little brother," Chris was seething with anger. As long as he could remember, Wyatt had been his best friend. Wyatt had always been more sociable and surrounded himself with friends. Chris on the other hand was a bit of an introvert. Ever since Wyatt began college, Wyatt's friend circle had widened. Although he wouldn't have admitted it explicitly, Chris started to feel left out. Today Wyatt agreed to meet his friends at the mall, completely forgetting that he had promised Chris to spend time with him. This was the last straw and his rather volatile little brother had blown the fuse.

"Listen to me, Kitten. You know I love hanging out with you. You're my best friend. Besides you've been hanging out with Aaron," Wyatt said referring to Chris's only close friend outside family. He quickly realized he had stepped into a minefield considering the fact that Aaron was in a relationship now while Chris was single. Wyatt knew he had to trade very carefully.

"Whatever. Aaron has a girlfriend now. Do you really think he would want to hang out with me? I could never compete with that sprite," Chris said with a slight bitterness in his voice. Things were a little complicated as Aaron's girlfriend had been Chris's first crush and she wouldn't give him the time of day.

"Don't worry bro, I know its rough. But You'll find your own sprite soon enough," Wyatt had unwittingly rhymed and before he realized it, there was swirl of golden lights that materialized into a group of sprites. Before the boys could react, the sprites began to flutter around Chris's torso and levitated him. The sprites disappeared in golden lights along with Chris.

"Oh crap," Wyatt said as he realized his baby brother had been kidnapped by sprites he had accidently conjured.

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><p>"And you didn't try to follow them?" Junior asked incredulously. Wyatt rolled his eyes.<p>

"Of course I followed them. From what I could gather from my encounter with the sprites, they have Chris under some kind of spell. They want to make him their prince," Wyatt informed. Despite the gravity of the situation, Junior burst out laughing as he imagined Chris as the prince of sprites.

"And let me guess, the sprites dumped your ass in a lake when you attempted to get Chris back," Junior observed after he got his laughter under control. Wyatt's embarrassment was boundless.

"It was a well. I was in my bathtub when I resurfaced," Wyatt admitted in a barely audible voice. Henry Jr. had another fit of uncontrollable laughter. Wyatt narrowed his eyes and glared at Junior just as Chris would have but Wyatt's glare wasn't nearly as effective as that of Chris.

"Chris is far more resourceful than any of us. I'm sure he'll find his way back. So all you have to do is hide from your mother till he does," Junior tried to reassure his older cousin but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"I'm not sure it's that simple. I think he's there because he wants to stay. Or at least he doesn't want to be here," Wyatt muttered.

"I beg your pardon?" Henry Jr. asked.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Chris has been feeling a bit left out lately. And I didn't help the situation by ditching him again. It's all my fault. I made him feel unwelcome," Wyatt revealed his fear.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. And I have heard quite a few ridiculous things from you. Do you honestly think Chris, of all people, wants to be prince of the sprites? Besides you just said that he was under some spell," Junior said matter-of-factly.

"He wouldn't want to, not intentionally at least. But I think his desire not to be left out is making the spell so strong. Otherwise I, of all people, would have been able to break it," Wyatt's last sentence was borderline egotistical. Henry Jr. was quick to mock him.

"So, almighty twice blessed one, what do you need me for?" Junior asked. Wyatt was about to say, 'sprites are smart and I need a nerd to outsmart them', but didn't say anything as he realized he would be calling himself an idiot. Besides calling Junior a nerd was probably not the smartest move in his given predicament. 'I'm not that dumb', Wyatt thought to himself.

"Oh come on. Help me before mom finds out. Don't you want to have Chris back with us?" Wyatt decided to appeal to Junior's fondness for Chris.

"Alright, alright. I'll help you," Junior said.

"Good. Now, what is the plan of action? I can show you where they took him," Wyatt said pulling a world map from one of the drawers.

"I don't think following them is a good idea. I think you should summon Chris," Henry Jr. said pointing towards Wyatt's discarded wet clothes. Wyatt simply nodded in agreement. His face turned red with embarrassment once again. Without another word, Wyatt gathered all the ingredients needed for the summoning ritual.

"Can you still sense him through your brotherly bond?" Junior asked. Wyatt nodded.

"Good, because I'm not sure if he counts as a witch in his current state. You need to summon him as your brother," Henry Jr. told his older cousin as he scribbled something on a piece of parchment.

"This should work," Henry Jr. said. Wyatt nodded and began chanting. He was amazed by Chris and Junior's ability to come up with working spells on the fly.

Connection we share as brothers

Is stronger than that with others

Blood to blood, I summon thee

Blood to blood, return to me

As soon as a trop of Wyatt's blood touched the flame of the candle, the familiar golden lights swirled and reformed into a not so happy Chris. Unfortunately for Wyatt and Junior, he was followed by about twenty-five sprites that immediately attacked the Halliwell cousins.

Wyatt and Junior soon found themselves on the loosing side of the battle; mainly due to two reasons. Firstly, the sprites were so small and fast that blasting them without inflicting too much damage to the attic was nearly impossible. And secondly, sprites are mischievous little creatures but not necessarily evil. Wyatt wasn't sure if hurting sprites would count as hurting innocents. Incapacitating them would involve a well-worded spell. Given Wyatt's luck with spells, his spell would probably backfire.

"We need a spell," Wyatt said looking at Junior. Unfortunately, the sprites had managed to tie Junior's hands with a chord from the curtains and put a gag in his mouth effectively neutralizing him. It was clear to Wyatt that Chris was controlling the sprites. He could have easily hurt Junior but he merely incapacitated him. That meant Chris was still in there somewhere deep down. Wyatt just needed to get his brother to fight the spell.

"Chris, Listen to me. You have to fight it. This isn't you. You would never attack Junior and me on purpose. Listen to me kitten. We're brothers. Our bond is stronger than whatever enchantment the sprites have put on you. We may fight occasionally but deep down we love each other. That love is going to trump this stupid spell you're under. MMhhaaffasdf…" Wyatt's voice was muffled as the sprites gagged the twice-blessed witch with a towel and bound his hands with the cord. In a moment of confusion Chris stopped and looked at his brother and cousin bewildered. He telekinetically pulled the gags out of both their mouths. A golden glow began spreading across Chris's body signifying the spell of the sprites being broken. Seeing as their enchantment was being dispelled by Chris's love for his brother and cousin, the sprites suddenly attacked Chris. This was enough to remove the effect of the spell completely and Chris was back to normal.

"Chris! You're back," Wyatt and Junior yelled almost in unison. Chris telekinetically pulled Junior closer as he moved near Wyatt.

"Wy! Shield!" He yelled. Wyatt immediately obliged and enveloped Chris, Junior and himself in his protective blue shield. He kept mentally kicking himself for not thinking of this before. He also realized that the shield was a response to fear and panic. Due to their small size, he never truly considered the sprites as anything more than a minor nuisance. As a result his reflex to raise the shield was never triggered.

"What do we do now?" Wyatt asked a slight hint of irritation in his voice. Chris seemed thoughtful for a moment before he began chanting.

Essences of mischief and freedom

Those are found in a city seldom

Move them through time and space

Return them to their rightful place

The spell worked as expected; after all it was Chris's handiwork. As soon as the sprites disappeared, Chris quickly unbound Wyatt and Junior's hands.

"I'm sorry about you know… All this," Chris said pointing at the cords and gags used to incapacitate his brother and cousin.

"Don't worry about it. It was partly my fault anyway. After all I was the one who conjured them. And I'm sorry for forgetting about our plan," Wyatt said apologizing to his little brother.

"Its OK, Wy. I understand. Go, have fun with your friends. I'll be all right. And don't worry; I'm not mad at you. Not anymore anyway," Chris said a bit sadly. Wyatt put an arm around Chris's shoulders.

"No. I want to hang out with you. You're my best friend, kitten. This whole debacle has made me realize that I have been taking our friendship for granted. If I have to choose between you and anyone else, I'll always choose you," Wyatt said with a smile but the fear of losing his brother was evident in his mannerism.

"I'm sorry they destroyed your birthday present," Chris said gingerly handling the broken tripod he had bought for Wyatt's new camera.

"That's alright. You have given me something much more important. You reminded me the importance of our friendship. Now, that's enough of this touchy feely crap. Lets go have some fun. What do you want to do?" Wyatt asked.

"Well, it's your birthday. I know you've been dying to see that new photography exhibit and enlighten me with the excruciatingly detailed analysis of each picture so lets do that," Chris told his brother.

"Are you sure? I mean, every time there is a new exhibit, I have to drag your ass kicking and screaming," Wyatt asked.

"Well, think of it as an apology for trying to kill you on your birthday. Although you might want to hurry before I change my mind," Chris warned his big brother.

"You're right. Let's go," Wyatt said. Henry Jr. who was mutely watching the interaction between the brothers pouted silently, conveying the fact the he was feeling left out. Wyatt rolled his eyes and offered a hand to help Junior off the ground.

"All right Odie, you can come too", Wyatt said smiling at his little cousin. The brightest grin appeared on Junior's face as the three rushed downstairs and towards the front door.

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><p><strong>Kindly read and review<strong>


	5. Junior's Birthday

**Author's Note: **In all my stories, Henry Jr. is played by Bradley James. Ever since I watched the 'Merlin' episode where Arthur is stuck with donkey ears, the idea for this story has been floating in my head. I finally decided to put it down on paper.

I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

**Disclaimer:** I _do not_ own Charmed or any of its characters except the ones I make up. I _do not_ intend to make profit out of this story.

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><p><strong>Junior's Birthday<strong>

"… And then Sheila insisted that Bradley was way hotter than both Brant and Mike, the fraternal twin hunks of Hyde High while Kate kept saying that Vladimir, the new Ukrainian exchange student is the most handsome and neither of these bimbos could see the fact that Bradley, Mike and Brant are just bullies and don't see beyond their pectoral muscles. Vladimir seems to be a nice guy but he has a weird accent and not a cute weird either. Then I told them that Rupert was much more mature than any of these meatheads. He may not be all-muscles but he is such a sweet and caring boy. And you wouldn't believe what happened next…" Penny's 'handsome boys of Hyde High' newsletter was interrupted by Junior's sarcastic comment.

"Sound of a gunshot?" he asked with an expression of almost pathetic hopefulness. The expression on Penny's face turned from excited to furious in moments. She turned her glare to her big brother and expressed her displeasure at his interruption while she was in the middle of explaining to Prue why her recent crush, Rupert, deserved the title of 'best boyfriend material'.

"Why so grouchy, Odie? It's your twenty-first birthday. You can legally drink now. Shouldn't you be excited?" Prue asked half amused and half curious. For past couple of days Junior had, for some reason, lost his cheerful mannerism and had become almost as big of a grouch as Chris. She glanced at Patty and Wyatt who were sitting on the couch but both of them, just shrugged.

"Oh, you guys don't know, do you?" Chris, who had just entered the living room at Paige's home and heard Prue's question, said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Don't you dare!" Junior roared and more or less tackled Chris, trying to cover the half elder's mouth with the palm of his left hand while holding him in place with his right.

"Ooo. This day promises to get better by the minute," Wyatt commented as he walked towards Junior and Chris. Even though Chris could have broken free out of Junior's hold, Wyatt's intervention helped. Within moments, Chris was free of Junior's hold who, in turn, found himself held securely in place by Wyatt.

"So here's what happened about a week ago. I was at aunt Paige's to pick up Junior. We had plans for …" Chris began narrating. Junior couldn't decide if he should try to plead or threaten Chris into silence. He was staring at his big cousin but the expression on his face was indescribable.

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><p><strong>About a week ago…<strong>

"So am I a burden now?" Emily, Junior's girlfriend hissed as she stormed out of his room. She scowled at him for a moment as he followed her out. She began descending the stairs without another glance at her boyfriend.

"Don't twist my words. I said burden in the most positive sense of the word," Junior said, unable to hear the cracking of thin ice beneath his feet.

"In a positive sense? As in gee, what a wonderful burden?" Emily asked incredulously. And then disaster struck. The girl had stopped abruptly on the third step of the staircase and turned around to face her boyfriend. Unfortunately, Junior, who was struggling to get his ridiculously tight t-shirt over his head, didn't see her halt. He slammed into her and both of them came stumbling down. Chris, who was waiting for Junior downstairs rushed towards the fallen couple.

"Oh o," Chris muttered as he took in the situation. Emily sat up quickly and grabbed her aching jaw. The expression on Chris's face was that of pity while that on Junior's face was abject terror.

"What?" Emily asked before she discretely slid her tongue along the inside of her mouth to make sure everything was where it should be. To her horror, half of her front tooth was missing. That revelation was followed by an ear-piercing scream. Junior hurried to his feet and offered a hand to Emily who promptly slapped it away. She scrambled to her feet and scowled at her (ex?) boyfriend.

"Henry Wyatt Mathews-Mitchel Junior. You're a jackass. You aught to look like one," Emily said before muttering something under her breath. Chris and Junior were sure it was a spell but they couldn't discern the wording. Effect of the spell was immediate, however, and Junior was now sporting long brown and fuzzy donkey ears, and a donkey tail to match sprouted from his lower back. He tried to speak but the only sound that left his throat was a bray.

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><p><strong>Current time…<strong>

"I cannot believe I missed that. Seriously… cannot… believe," Reese said in between fits of howling laughter.

"Wait a minute, I saw you two just before the Halloween party. You told me the tail and the ears were part of his costume. That was real, wasn't it? And Odie didn't talk to me because the only sound he could make was a bray," Prue inquired, barely able to keep her laughter under control. Chris only nodded. Penny and Patty were laughing so hard that they could have truthfully posted 'rotfl' on their Facebook status.

"I was wondering why he would wear the costume and then not show up at the party. How did you fix it?" Prue asked. Wyatt had released Junior as soon as he stopped struggling. The amusement was evident in Wyatt's mannerism.

"It was a creative spell-work by Emily. Even with the two of us working together, it took us an hour to come up with a counter spell. Part of the reason could have been that every word Junior came up with rhymed with 'eyore'," Chris said as he ducked to avoid the tv remote flung at him by Junior.

"I do not understand what's so funny about it," Junior muttered angrily.

"Let me try to explain it in a way you might understand better. Eyore eyore ee eyore," Wyatt, who was quiet so far, began braying horribly. The expression on Junior's face turned from angry to hurt for a moment before he orbed off to his room.

"Why's he so sensitive all of a sudden? Usually he doesn't take our teasing seriously, no matter how nasty we are. I'd have expected him to come up with some witty retort," Prue asked concerned.

"Long story short, Emily dumped him after the fiasco. In hindsight, we shouldn't have been so mean to him. I better go and talk to him," Chris said grimacing before rushing up the stairs to Junior's room.

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><p>"Odie, please open the door. Look I'm sorry, OK? I wouldn't have said anything if I knew it would hurt you so much. Please?" Chris pleaded outside Junior's door. The door was partly open but Chris didn't dare enter. Intruding in Junior's room right now was not going to help. He hadn't orbed to the room for same reason.<p>

"Odie?" Chris gently pushed open the door when he didn't get any response. Junior was on the floor vigorously doing pushups. Strenuous workout was his way of venting anger and frustration.

"I hate you Christopher Perry Halliwell!" Junior yelled before slamming the door in Chris's face.

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><p>"We screwed up big time," Prue said grimacing. Chris nodded solemnly in agreement.<p>

"How do we make it up to him?" Wyatt asked sitting on the sofa besides his baby brother.

"May be I should talk to Emily and get her to talk to him. I'm a girl, and part cupid, after all," Prue said thoughtfully. The expression on Reese's face was that of disbelief mixed with horror.

"Oh for goodness' sake no! Prue, you're as good at being a cupid as mom is at keeping secrets. No no no no no. This needs a professional touch. I'll be the one to talk to Emily," Reese said before teleporting away without giving his sister an opportunity to argue. Prue didn't even get a chance to glare at her baby brother indignantly.

"Wait for me!" Chris yelled before orbing after Reese.

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><p>"What do you two want?" Emily said as soon as she opened the door. Judging from the way she was hiding her teeth carefully behind her lips when she talked, they knew that the dentist hadn't yet fixed the broken front tooth.<p>

"We just want to talk. But first, would you let me try and heal your tooth?" Chris asked with hesitation. Emily scowled for a moment but then turned away.

"It won't work. My own white-lighter already tried," Emily said after a minute of awkward silence.

"But I'm a half elder. My healing power's got to be more potent than a run-of-the-mill white-lighter," Chris said with a charming smile. Emily rolled her eyes but gestured for him to proceed. The two stepped inside her house. Chris muttered a spell before attempting to heal the broken tooth.

Restore the beauty of this gorgeous princess,

Repair her tooth like nobody's business.

And to remedy my cousin's miserable state,

Would you please go with him on another date?

The golden glow appeared and Emily's tooth was fixed. A genuine smile appeared on her face.

"That was a charming spell, Chris. But that last part is not going to work. I'm not taking him back. I hate him," Emily said as if trying to convince herself.

"No you don't. You like him. I can sense it. You cannot trick a cupid when it comes to matters of the heart. Emily, He's truly miserable. He misses you and I know you miss him too. Deep down you know he never meant to hurt you," Reese said to her.

"You don't know how insensitive he acts sometimes. Last time we …" Emily began but then stopped abruptly, not wanting to discuss the intimate details of a private argument.

"Look, I know he can be a bit daft sometimes and speaks without engaging his brain. I can only imagine him putting his foot in his mouth. And I have no doubt he said something wildly inappropriate to piss you off the other day. But underneath all, he's a nice guy. You trust that don't you?" Reese asked sincerely. Emily was thoughtful for a moment.

"And why isn't he here? Why are you two talking on his behalf?" Emily asked raising one eyebrow.

"That's my fault. I convinced him that you needed some time to calm down and if he had rushed after you the way he wanted to, you both would have ended up saying something you both would have regretted," Chris said earnestly. Emily exhaled a sigh.

"I'll think about it," she said finally. Chris and Reese nodded. There wasn't anything more they were going to achieve at the moment.

"One more thing. I need the spell you used on him," Chris said as the two reached the door.

"What for? I know you're brilliant at spell-work, Chris. I'm sure you've already fixed his ears and tail," Emily asked with raised eyebrows but gave Chris the spell anyway.

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><p>"Odie, would you please open the door?" Chris pleaded one more time. Junior had calmed down considerably by now. Slowly, he opened the door. All his cousins and both of his little sisters were standing outside the door. Chris appeared to be their leader. Junior's jaw dropped in surprise as soon as he took in the scene. All six of them were sporting the same kind of donkey ears and tails he'd been wearing two days ago.<p>

"We acted like jackasses. We deserve to look like ones. We're truly sorry," Chris said with a slight pout. No matter how hard he tried, a small smile crept up on Junior's face. He could never stay mad at his family for too long.

"Oh alright. You are forgiven," he said finally, rolling his eyes.

"We've one more surprise for you," Chris said as all of them moved aside. Behind them, was Emily. The grin on Junior's face rivaled that of the Cheshire cat.

"We should talk," she said as the two stepped into Junior's room.

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><p>"So, how'd it go?" Reese asked excitedly as soon as Junior and Emily came downstairs.<p>

"As if all of you weren't eavesdropping," Junior said rolling his eyes. The happiness on his and Emily's face was proof enough that the two had kissed and made-up. Prue, Penny and Patty pulled Emily to the conservatory with them where Piper was putting finishing touches on Junior's cake. Junior shook his head and turned to Chris and Reese.

"Thank you, you two. Emily told me what you guys did for me. This was the best birthday present ever. Of course that doesn't mean you two can be cheap and not give me a real present," Junior said as he pulled his cousins in a three-way hug. He sneezed violently as Chris and Reese's donkey ears tickled his nose.

"And get rid of those ridiculous ears and tails, would you? You've already been forgiven," Junior said before muttering the counter spell himself.

"Thanks," all the cousins said in unison as the spell took effect.

"And Kit, I'm sorry for yelling at you too. I don't hate you. I could never hate you. You're my best friend," Junior told Chris as the two walked to the conservatory.

"You're my best friend too, Odie. I know you well enough to realize that you didn't mean it. So don't worry about it," Chris said ruffling Junior's hair.

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